Have you ever experienced anxiety? I wouldn’t hesitate to say

that out of 100 adults surveyed, all 100 would tell you they

have experienced some form of anxiety. Anxiety is a normal part

of our existence. In the early years of man, anxiety and

adrenalin served the purpose of keeping us alert to approaching

danger. This kept us alive. Today, the anxiety that many of us

feel is in response to ever increasing daily responsibilities

and no increase in the amount of time available to take care of

those responsibilities.

Some people, however, experience a far worse condition of

anxiety. Anxiety attacks, or panic attacks, as they are often

referred to, rob individuals of their ability to function

normally. Fear seizes their mind, numbing their ability to

think and process thought clearly. They are afraid to even

breathe at times and sometimes unable to breathe normally.

This is a debilitating condition. Can you imagine being gripped

by fear and panic, to the point that you could not even

accomplish a simple trip to the grocery store? It is a daily

situation for many adults. The greatest dilemma faced by the

panic stricken individual is the isolation many feel, and the

inability to reach out to someone for help. The very nature of

the disease isolates the patient, and makes treatment options

seem nonexistent. Seeking treatment would mean that they had to

exist outside the comfort zone of their home, or their bedroom.

Often a person will experience circumstances that bring on

severe anxiety or panic, and once the circumstances causing the

panic are resolved or dissipate, so does the anxiety. I don’t

believe you can go through your entire adult life, and never

experience some form of heightened anxiety. If you have

responsibilities, children, loved ones, and friends, there is

probably going to be a situation that causes you to experience

severe anxiety. Some people never experience an attack. But

many do, and for those people, it is a fleeting thing. But

every once in a while, someone experiences anxiety and panic,

and it begins to grow inside them. It consumes their life. For

these people, simple responsibilities become scary situations.

The good news, in fact the only bright spot I can see, in this

disease, is that it is a condition readily treatable with

counseling and the use of self-help techniques including

meditation, mild medications, and biofeedback. Empowering the

individual and allowing them to take part in their own

treatment is in itself a way to stop the anxiety and panic.

Once an individual begins to feel they are in control of their

lives, again, you are even closer to banishing the overwhelming

anxiety and panic. Since the onset of this disease is worsened

by the individuals belief in their inability to control their

daily lives, reestablishing control is absolutely necessary.